Finding “The One” on the Road – A Traveler’s Fairytale

As a Recruiter, the most rewarding part of my job by far is getting the opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life. Not only the candidates that I work with, but the patients they take care of. When someone says “thank you” or “this is my dream job”, I know I have done my job well, and it further ignites the passion I have for this industry. Every once in a while there is an extra special experience. Here’s one of those extra special experiences I’d like to share with you.

This is a true story.

Seven years ago, I was working with a Respiratory Therapist, we’ll call her Sally, to find her first travel assignment. She was also a childhood friend of a former co-worker, so there was added pressure to make sure that we found her a perfect match so she had a successful first assignment and start to her travel career. Sally was single and had nothing tying her down, so she wanted to be a contract RRT for a few years and explore the country.

The Respiratory market is very competitive and saturated, so there are few jobs that will consider a first-time traveler and/or wait for a candidate to obtain the required state license. However, Sally had great experience, and was flexible on location, aka – a Recruiter’s dream. Even so, I was a little nervous when I made the call to see if she would consider making the 23-ish hour trek from Omaha, NE to Vermont for her first assignment. Sometimes the idea of traveling across the country, literally, can sound so fun and amazing, but actually doing it can be a different story for some. Sally wanted her profile to be submitted, and we were both ecstatic when she received an interview followed up by an offer from the facility.

Not long after she began her assignment, Sally befriended a staff Respiratory Therapist, we’ll call him Mike. As her Account Manager and I kept in contact with her during her assignment, we learned that Sally and Mike’s friendship had evolved to a romantic relationship. Sally was thrilled to extend when the facility offered so she and Mike could continue dating. As her first assignment came to an end, Sally informed us that she and Mike wanted to travel together for her next assignment. Mike was putting in his notice and they were going to hit the road together.

We placed Sally and Mike in Oklahoma for their first assignment together as a couple. This was a long way from home for Mike, a Vermont native, but a lot closer to home for Sally. By this time, I had transitioned from a Recruiter to Recruiting Trainer, so I didn’t get to speak with Sally and Mike as often, but my old team and Sally’s childhood friend kept me up-to-date on their relationship status. After Oklahoma came Oregon, and after Oregon came an engagement, wedding, and full-time positions in Nebraska.

Sally and Mike now have a three year old daughter and are both working staff jobs in Oregon. It makes me smile thinking about the day that Sally and Mike will tell their daughter the story about how Mommy and Daddy first met each other when Mommy took her first travel assignment in Vermont, 23 hours away from home.

Emily Peterson joined Aureus Medical Group in 2006 as a Recruiter for the Respiratory Therapy division. For the past two years she has worked as the Recruitment Branch Manager for the Nursing division. In between her role as Recruiter and her current position, Emily was the Team Lead of Recruitment for the Training Department, focusing on new hire training for all of the Medical divisions. In her free time, Emily enjoys spending time with her husband, Chris, and two sons, Jack and Sam. She loves Netflix and anything pop culture related. She loves to travel, especially to Vegas. She enjoys shopping, but will only buy if it’s an amazing bargain.